Des Egan - Poet
Current job: Artistic director of the Hopkins Summer School
What Schools did you attend? St Finian's College, Mullingar, as a boarder.
Hidden talents at school? Was always interested in English and wrote a few poems on the quiet in school. Also keen on tennis - a lifelong passion. Very involved in the school productions of Gilbert and Sullivan. No football!
Where did you go to college? Maynooth and later did M.A. in UCD.My third college was Washburn University in Kansas. They gave me an honorary doctorate in 1998.
Best subject? English language and literature. Loved the course.
Worst subject? Maths. Always Maths
Most inspirational teacher and why? Professor Peter Connolly. He opened to us not only the treasures of English literature but also contemporary writing across the world. The world was his oyster. He also was the first serious film critic in Ireland. Dedicated and knowledgeable - a brilliant mind.
What's the best thing about the Irish educational system? National Schools (Ledwidge and Kavanagh never went beyond.)
The worst thing? The horrible points system. It has knocked much of the joy out of learning and attacked the idea of doing a subject for its own sake - Newman's idea. Some schools encourage their pupils to take on extra courses. I know of one where more or less every Leaving Cert student attends such courses. Side by side with this goes a decreasing emphasis on the academic side. The hungry sheep look up and are not fed.
What song most reminds you of your school days? Silvered Is the Raven Hair from Patience. (My song!)
